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Positron emission tomographic studies of perceptual tasks
Author(s) -
Reivich M.,
Alavi A.,
Gur R. C.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410150712
Subject(s) - positron emission tomography , audiology , vigilance (psychology) , human brain , fluorodeoxyglucose , stimulus (psychology) , psychology , coefficient of variation , metabolic activity , lateralization of brain function , brain activity and meditation , deoxyglucose , anxiety , nuclear medicine , neuroscience , medicine , electroencephalography , chemistry , physiology , cognitive psychology , psychiatry , chromatography
Metabolic mapping in conjunction with positron emission tomography was used to examine the response of the human brain to physiological stimuli. Local cerebral glucose consumption was measured by means of the fluorine‐18‐labeled fluorodeoxyglucose technique. The coefficient of variation of this measurement for various gray matter structures varies from 19.5 to 26.4%. If repeat measurements are made in the same subject using carbon‐11‐labeled deoxyglucose is the tracer, the coefficient of variation of repeat measurements for these same structures is reduced to between 5.2 and 8.7%. Stimulation of one visual field in normal subjects produced a significant (p<0.01) increase in metabolism in the contralateral visual cortex. An auditory stimulus consisting of a tape‐recorded factual story presented through earphones to only one ear produced a significant (p<0.001) increase in glucose consumption in the contralateral temporal cortex. The effects of vigilance or attention on cerebral metabolism were also examined. There was significantly greater metabolism in the right versus the left inferior parietal region in subjects attending to a visual or auditory task compared with those who were not. Anxiety appeared to produce significantly greater glucose utilization in the right hemisphere compared with the left in those subjects who had a higher level of anxiety during the measurement. Metabolic mapping promises to be a powerful new tool in furthering our understanding of the organization and functioning of the human brain.